Unfinished Works

A much needed volume to speak to the pervasive issue of race in our broader culture and the SBC particularly. The chapters connect pastors and church leaders to the Gospel mandates that fundamentally re-order our thinking when it comes to the challenges of race. The historical overview of the SBC’s willingness to formally address the problem of racism is worth the cost of the book alone.

It’s an annual event our house - the celebration of the day our children became part of our family forever. “Gotcha Day” or “Adoption Day” features ice cream, pictures, favorite meals, and a recounting of their unique adoption story.

Like most families, we share these moments online. But this year, our celebration angered individuals in the recently emboldened alt-right movement. The alt-right or “white nationalists” as some call them, are a grouping of far-right individuals that truly believe the best solutions for our country comes from separating races. Some have blamed the rise of the alt-right on the current political climate, others on the rapid expansion of politically-correct cultural change. Whatever the rationale, the trolls from the alt-right assured my racially mixed family that I was a disgrace to whites everywhere and that I was most assuredly “going to hell” for violating God’s racial laws. Even worse, according to these individuals, I was "cucked."

Perhaps you aren’t familiar with this term, but it tends to be a favorite of the alt-right to refer to Christians who take a stand for racial equality. Historically the term “cuck,” or “cucked,” implied a lack of masculinity and virility – particularly to a husband of an adulterous wife or to men who unwittingly invest parental effort in raising children not connected to them genetically. Creating familial relationships through adoption that bridge the racial divide are case-in-point. Even integrating churches or ministries that work with refugees are seen as cowering to the Political Culture and therefore, weak. Churches taking Biblical stands on these issues become demonstrative of “Cuckservative Christianity,” “Cuckianity,” or “Cucked Christianity.”

For the alt-right, white nationalist, race is tied to cultural expression so that certain races inherently possess cultural markers. For those cultures to then flourish and reach their natural ends, the races should be separated and become their own nations. For many, the white, European race needs to reclaim its uniqueness and primacy and therefore protect its cultural heritage. It’s the grand reversal of the identity politics of the left.

This isn’t a new idea launched during a 2016 political campaign. Incredibly prescient, Carol M. Swain identified this Nationalist impulse present in American culture over 15 years ago. Her book, The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration deserves a close read by anyone seeking answers to the longer history of this movement. Swain, quotes Dan Gayman, leader of the Church of Israel, a Christian Identity/white nationalist movement located in Missouri, “Most white Americans believe in their hearts in the doctrine of racial separatism even if they are too intimidated by its current disfavor in the media and elsewhere to openly acknowledge their beliefs.”[1]

In a post-2016 election cycle that empowered many of radicalized groups on both sides of the aisle, the cultural filter Gayman referenced has lifted. It’s gone. The attacks have gone mainstream.

Swain argued that a variety of economic as well as cultural currents could ultimately lead to the challenges we are facing today. Her suggestion? The solution has to come from the church.

Why?

Because the Gospel doesn’t change. Because the need for all of humanity to be reconciled to God doesn’t change. Because once we trust Christ, our identity changes fundamentally as part of the family of God – we are all adopted sons and daughters and share in the inheritance of the Gospel!

But this concept is often missed by many in America. The Gospel decimates our broken and sinful concepts of race! Jesus' victory on the cross ended the hostility between Jew/Greek, male/female, black/white/Hispanic/Asian. It doesn’t erase our ethnic heritage or unique attributes – this is not an “I don’t see race” proclamation. Instead, it is a new vision that despite these differences, we are placed into a new family where we become one because of Christ. Ephesians 2:14 is especially poignant: “For He (Christ) himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” We are one in Christ. Period.

But every Sunday, we bring our wretched, broken souls into the gathering place of our churches carrying discrimination against each other or those outside of our doors. How should pastors respond to this reality?

Understand that the media is not “fabricating” or “creating” stories of the rise of an emboldened, racially motivated alt-right. While I believe they are a very small, yet loud, subset of the population, they are doing everything they can to target the young, the disenfranchised, and the poor with their racially charged message. If Swain’s research bears out, this group will continue to see gains if the seed of their teaching is watered and left unchecked.

Your brothers and sisters in Christ who are part of a minority group may actually carry some justified fear about what might happen to them during this presidential transition. If you are not listening to them, please take time to consider what they are feeling and hearing in their congregations.

You must remain vigilant about issues of race and racial reconciliation. Pastors must preach the peace and healing that comes through Christ alone. Beyond preaching, congregations must continue to work to reach their specific mission field. Do a census study of a five-mile radius around your congregation’s meeting place. If your congregational doesn’t mirror the racial proportions of that same space, you are missing your mission field!

Recognize that individuals in your congregation may carry racial discomfort or even hatred against others into your building every week. If the church really is a place where broken sinners find healing through the Gospel, this is a live issue. Since the truth of our true identity in Christ is connected so deeply to the Gospel, we should expect the ideas of race and racial division to be live issues that Satan will use to create division.

Preach the Gospel. Over and again share the hope of the Gospel. There is no underestimating, as Carol Swain states, “the enormous power that Christian religion can exert to save us from our ingrained bigotries and prejudices.”[2] The Gospel forces us to deal with our sin and the inherent racism that each of carries and annihilates it on the cross of Calvary.

Christians must hold to the higher standard that all believers are one, new race in Christ. This is our identity that supersedes all other markers. When it comes to a question of the alt-right, they are wrong. Attitudes of racial superiority or even discrimination are morally wrong according to what we are told in Scripture. Pastors and churches must guard against this cultural moment and continue to point people to the cross where we are made new.

Navigating the waters of the tech world requires help from godly resources. At Midwestern, we have an incredible tech team led by David Meyer. I thought I would pick his brain a bit about parenting, technology and resources we can all use for our families.

David, I’d like to start with a brief bio – tell us a little about yourself and your family…

I have been married to my awesome wife for 12 years and we have 3 wonderful children, Emily 16, Kaylee 10, and Evan 8. We belong to Lenexa Baptist Church and have been attending regularly for about 8 years. I have been in the technology field for over 25 years. I have worked in all aspects of the IT field, from the help desk to IT Director. My current role is Director of IT for Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am going on my 3rd year with MBTS.

You work in a world of technology at an institution that is passionately “For the Church.” How do you connect your tech role with ministry?

I feel as though God has me in this role to help those who are struggling and frustrated due to technology related issues. I see this as an opportunity to show God’s love and to witness to those around me. When someone comes to IT, people generally are not contacting me for something positive, but rather when they have a problem that needs to be solved. I always believe there are two ways to look at it, positive or negative, and I choose to take a positive approach to problem solving so the client has the best experience possible. I see this as an opportunity to serve. 1Cor 10:31 - "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Help us out - How best should pastors apply technology in their congregations and personal lives?

Never before has technology been in a state of accelerated growth and advancement. This is both troubling and uplifting at the same time. Troubling in the context of material and ease of which to obtain it, uplifting on how many can be reached and by the ease and means of doing so. Pastors should embrace technology as a tool and means to convey the good news to others. I also feel that pastors should be aware of the need for tools to protect themselves from the troubling side of technology, to use them, and to share them with their congregations. I believe individuals in the church, especially parents, are searching for reliable safety features to compliment the advancement of technology.

Should Christian parents be encouraging their kids to pursue careers in technology?

Yes, absolutely! Christian parents should encourage the technology fields as a means of a potential career. Every component in our society will be touched by technology to some degree. Going forward, this is only going to increase and we need good, strong Christian young people driving that force to reach as many as possible for God’s glory. The stronger our force, the greater the development of tools and available communication will be, as well the ability to spread the Gospel.

What are the biggest dangers in the tech world today?

As mentioned previously, access is truly the number one danger in our world today. Never before have we been so challenged in protecting our core Christian values and beliefs. Pornography is literally everywhere and freely accessible with very little effort via technology. Predators can use the same tools to manipulate and trick our kids by hiding behind masked identities and or expose them to inappropriate material. We truly live in a very dangerous time in terms of technology but at the same time never before with such an opportunity to utilize it in a positive and meaningful way as well.

What safeguards should pastors and thought leaders be placing in their lives to avoid these dangers?

Personally, I have chosen to use layers of safeguards in the use of technology for myself and my family. I would suggest pastors and others to do the same.

First of all, accountability and transparency are crucial to safeguarding one’s life in this area. It is also helpful to understand that there are ways to protect one’s self. I believe with the ease of access, if someone wants to access something, they will find a way, however, there are multiple programs that we can utilize for ensuring accountability of sites and content accessed.

For leaders, I believe that every single one should have a strong accountability partner who is willing to monitor access thru data logs and reports followed by discussions on a regular basis and have the full freedom to question them. Simply asking someone how they are doing in this area is not enough.

I believe everyone should have programs installed for internet safety and restricting sites. For church leaders, I would even take it one step further and have committees or teams to facilitate and ensure that these programs are installed and up to date, and that accountability takes place and isn’t an afterthought. Too many great pastors have succumbed to Satan and his temptations. I have had the very unfortunate experience of witnessing this personally.

On a more personal level, what do you do to help your family live with the ubiquity of tech in the 21st century?

It’s all part of the layers I mentioned before.

First of all, my wife and I have tried to instill core values in our children. We also use examples from the media and have conversations about how to handle certain situations. We also discuss “what if” scenarios.

From a technology front, I use gateway and filtering devices to block out the unwanted content, but as with any filter, there are items that can get thru. The key is to know how to handle those situations and ensuring the accountability is in place to prevent one from viewing something that may have slipped through.

For our oldest daughter, we use a program called “Uknowkids” that monitors every incoming and outgoing text (even ones that have been deleted), Instagram post, twitter post, and more.

We also have an app on all of our phones called “Life 360” which lets us know where each of us are at any given time. This is another form of accountability as well as general safety. Our daughter can “check in” with the push of a button to let us know she has arrived where she was heading, and also can send an “alert” or even call both of us with the push of a button if she feels she is in an uncomfortable situation.

If you could caution all parents about one thing in technology, what would it be?

The one thing in technology that I would caution parents about is secrecy, especially with the “deep web” which is something many parents know very little, if anything, about. The “deep web” consists of hidden world from public search engines. Without going into technical details, Child pornography, arms trafficking, drugs, hired assassins, prostitutes, terrorism, etc., all make the Deep Web the largest black market ever to exist. There are applications that have a special keystroke and/or function to activate it known only by the user that installed it. Our kids are very tech savvy today and it is a constant “cat and mouse game” for us to stay ahead of the curve. We have to talk to our kids and make them aware of the dangers that are out there and what to look for so they don’t stumble across something they shouldn’t, or be tempted to hide things from us – if something has to be hidden, it is probably not a good thing. It is also important that we talk to them about what to do in case they do encounter something questionable. Just like drugs, there is a very real threat with technology and peer pressure is ever present. The safeguards I mentioned above are the key and the best chance of ensuring our family’s safety.

How can churches come alongside families to help them deal with the technology concerns of our day?

I believe that the church can come alongside families by inviting experts in these areas of technology to teach classes specific on the threats our kids face, what to look for, and how to prevent problems. Parents and church leaders cannot sit this one out. We must be vigilant in keeping up with this ever changing technology; we can be assured that our children are. I believe it would be prudent for the leaders of churches to review the different tools available and combine efforts with the companies to purchase and provide those at an affordable and realistic price to families. If offered in this way there may be a nonprofit pricing tier that could provide substantial savings. It would be a win/win for the company and for families if procured.

Thanks, David, for your service to our school, for your encouragement to me as a dad and your investment in us today!

If you could take unwanted web material and filter it in your home, would you? What if it were really easy to do so?

I’ve talked with countless parents frustrated about how hard it is to help shield their kids from unwanted material on the web. You can pursue DNS blockers or router solutions, but often there is a certain level of technical know-how that is assumed before you can implement these safeguars. Additionally, they can be “fiddly,” as one parent put it.

Circle Media began with the hope of making tools available for families to easily manage their home’s web content and have more extensive conversations with children growing up in a digital universe. An initial Kickstarter campaign by Circle Media never quite got off the ground, but Disney saw an opportunity and got behind a re-vamped product.

Circle is a small cube that plugs into your existing router hardware. You set up the rest from your phone. In a very simple to navigate app, each device that accesses the web in your home is relegated to a specific user and then each user is assigned a category: Pre-K, Kid, Teen, Adult and “none”. Every time a new device accesses your network, you are asked to assign that device to a person or to a filter level. This helps even as your kids mature and their peers bring iPhones or other devices to your home.

When a user surfs over to content that is deemed inappropriate, they are met with a screen that says “You’ve been filtered” and offers alternative, age-appropriate (and often Disney sourced) material. Each filter level even allows for platform-specific filtering like Facebook, YouTube or Snapchat can be completely filtered out. Additionally, you can allow sites, but have Circle filter out ads, require Google Safe Search and YouTube Restricted – all welcome additions for families who care what their kids see and experience online.

Parents are also given tools that restrict access to wifi during specific times or after a certain time limit has been reached. If your kids attempt to access the web at night alone in their rooms (never a good idea), the web is completely disconnected until the next morning at a specific time. Additionally, Parents can manually “pause” the internet on any device in the system which is perfect for those families who like to have their children “earn” time on electronics only after chores are completed.

This is an incredibly helpful device that simplified so much of what we needed to manage in our home. Even with 6 people who are accessing the router at a single time, we have never experienced a major slow down in web speed either (thank you, Google Fiber).

With so many positives, there are a few difficulties, though.

It’s only available at home – As soon as your kids leave your home wifi, there is ZERO filtering. If you have young teens with phones, they have full access to all of the web once they leave your home. Circle has responded by developing a new app called Circle Go that is still in Beta development, but looks very promising.

Time limit enforcement isn’t always accurate – One of the first things we noticed was how some devices were reporting significant amounts of time online, but it was all background data access, not direct. For example, Circle reported my daughter spent 3 hours on Facebook while she was at the pool without her phone. This was because Facebook was open and running in the background while the phone charged at home. This makes conversations about actual time usage on a device rather difficult.

The Apple App Store is often filtered erratically. This is the most obvious annoyance we experience. Apps that need updates are often blocked from accessing the web and therefore will not update until we visit another wifi network. Downloading new apps only works about 50% of the time.

The hardest part of setting up your network is naming and assigning all the wifi connected devices in your home. We discovered quickly how much we have allowed internet enabled components to connect to our home. From the AppleTV to the Thermostat on the wall, many components of your home will be asking you to decide what filter level they need (I recommend “none” for your appliances).

Sometimes Circle filters things that should be allowed. If you have ever used a filter, you know this can happen often. Circle doesn’t do this too frequently, but depending on the user level assigned, web content including news sites may be filtered.

Overall, Circle has become an integral part of how we aid our family to think wisely about how each person accesses information. If you are a concerned parent or even an adult who struggles with pornography, Circle can be a quick and easy solution that helps manage the wifi content in your home.

Does it ever feel as if your fight against the hoards of unwanted internet content is a losing battle? Not only does the constant barrage of near pornographic images in advertisements and media continually wear on me personally, but I have concerns about my teens and pre-teens who are learning to swim in this same culture.

A few years back I wrote on the encroaching of porn in social media venues. I discovered how hashtag searching within ubiquitous sites like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter could enable your children to access a plethora of images, videos and links to the very dark world of pornography. While these sites are doing an increasingly better job of filtering the content, the sheer volume of posts still means that new issues arise by the minute.

Adding to the challenge for us are the massive number of apps that appear on the scene regularly. Take Snapchat whose meteoric rise in the under 20 demographic has much to do with two factors: the images/videos disappear after a certain time and their parents don’t use the app.[1] And it seems there’s a new app every day.

What’s a family to do?

We could propose a moratorium on technology and retreat into some form of supposed Luddite utopia. Ultimately, that’s not the best response as many jobs or even beneficial things require that same connectivity.

Our family has chosen to tackle this problem with accountability. We know full well that we aren’t perfect, nor are there perfect solutions to this issue. However, we have found some tools that help us navigate the issues we face.

Circle with Disney – This great little device serves as a helpful tool for families to block unwanted things in their home. For every device connected to your wifi network, Circle filters many unwanted ads, sketchy websites and allows you to turn off a device’s internet connection as specific times. Even better, the network gateway is controlled simply from your phone. No complex coding allowed. There are a few annoyances and I will detail those in a different review, but it is well worth the $99 to purchase.

Being smart with devices – Parental restrictions on cell phones and other devices can go a long way to helping you steer clear of trouble online. On iphones you can remove the browser, set the the browser to access only specific sites, disallow the downloading of apps and restrict types of music and movies. If you have simply handed your child a phone with no restrictions, you have given them a live, porn delivery device. Activate restrictions and use them.

Research apps – You can get reviews on almost every app available. Many of them have ratings that help you as a consumer know what the content is like. Be careful here! Many times parents allow their children to access inappropriate content unwittingly because they fail to adhere to the age restrictions. If an app is indicated at 12+, it means the publisher of the app is unwilling to put in play safeguards to control content in chat forums or the actual content is rough. (See my article).

Install protections – In a great conversation with David Meyer, the IT guru at MBTS, he turned me on to a great resource called UKnowKids. For a minimal monthly fee, this site scans your family member’s exchanges in specific social media platforms as well as texts for possible problems. With daily reports, this enables a parent to talk with a child as things develop within his or her social network. With a teen who has her first phone, we have found this a very helpful tool to coach better social engagement and provide accountability. The resources they give parents on digital security and safety make the monthly fee even more reasonable. Look for a more thorough review soon.

Unfortunately, not all of these safeguards will keep your children (or yourself) safe. Last week as I read news on a variety of sites, it seemed as if most of the advertisements belonged in a specific issue of Sports Illustrated. As I was looking at a vehicle listing on Craigslist, I clicked on an additional link about the buyer that sent you into his “personals” ad. I wanted to throw up. I had no idea that people would publically try to negotiate sexual liaisons so graphically on Craigslist.

The battle is real. The casualties in the battle are real.

As parents and families, it’s smart for us to work together for the good of each other – even if the culture doesn’t understand.

It seems as if my social media is regularly inundated with Crossfitters letting me know a new PR, AMRAP score or EMOM they just finished in their WOD which they RX’d. (See glossary below)[1]

As someone who discovered the joy of Crossfitting at 5:30am with a crazy group of people who like to challenge themselves daily, I can understand the desire to let everyone know what you just accomplished! Besides, Crossfit helped me shed almost 40lbs, get in the best shape of my life, and be more productive.

I have no problems letting people know how Crossfit changed my life.

Shift gears with me, though.

As a Christian who leads a Baptist College in the Midwest, I continue to observe a very specific challenge. As Christians we claim to believe the most incredible truth of redemption from sin through the shed blood of Jesus! This transformative truth shapes every aspect of the Christian life, yet many Christians are almost silent about this identity in their life. You’d think that if my relationship with Jesus truly defined my life, I couldn’t stop talking about it.

Like a Crossfitter, I wouldn’t be quiet about the salvation I found.

Why don’t Christians share about Jesus? Some have suggested:

We often reduce talking about Jesus to evangelistic presentations.

We worry about what others will think.

We are concerned that it might be alienating in our relationships.

We know we lead a life that doesn’t match with what I claim on Sundays.

We compartmentalize our beliefs so that they only apply while at church.

Here’s my challenge for you…

Just talk about Jesus.

Salt your conversation with things that God is doing in your life – what you are learning in your study of the Bible, how your relationship with Christ gives you confidence in hard times or even how God answered prayer.

This is not a cry for people to be “preachy,” but to be genuine, real and sincere. People know the difference. Your story of what God is doing in your life as you seek to follow Jesus is very powerful. If you consistently mention things that God does in your life in an authentic way, it’s amazing how many times you will have the opportunity to share the Gospel with co-workers, neighbors and friends.

Be who you are in Christ.

Perhaps we could propose a new rule… The first rule of being a follower of Christ is to talk about Jesus!

[1] Crossfit has its own lingo…PR = Personal RecordAMRAP = As Many Rounds As Possible during a given timeEMOM = A movement performed Every Minute on the MinuteWOD = Workout of the DayRX = A movement done at the prescribed weight and repetitions/duration

“I can’t begin to tell you how much my student loans are killing me.”“I have to leave my church position because I don’t make enough to pay my student loan bill.”“I’d love to get more ministry training, but I can’t because I haven’t gotten close to paying off my first degree.”

What if your church could change a significant challenge for many pastors and staff members who serve your congregation and show how much you appreciate what they do?

Why don’t you invest in your pastor?

Bless them by paying their student loans!

No. I’m not feeling the Bern. But student loans are killing our pastors and staff more than you know.

Employers around the US are discovering that to attract the best talent and keep that talent working for the good of the company, student loan repayment programs can be a huge draw. CNN Money did a great article on how companies like PwC will give students up to $1,000 a year for up to 6 years of employment. Others give lump sum payoffs based on tenure. Even states like Kansas know the value of this by offering Rural Opportunity Zones.

You may be thinking, “My company doesn’t offer that benefit” or “I think they should have to work it off themselves.” You might be correct, but let’s do some simple math:

The standard requirement for most pastoral positions is a Master’s of Divinity. Many students take 3-4 years to complete a degree that ranges from 81-90 credit hours. This degree along typically costs a student in excess of $35,000 to serve effectively in the local church.[1]

Before a student ever gets to that point, they have to finish their undergraduate degree. Increasingly, students who manage their accounts well are leaving with in excess of $25,000 in student loan debt from college.[2]

Assuming your future pastor is married, his wife may also be carrying student loans.

This doesn’t count any doctoral debt.

If your church runs around 250 people, your pastor may be making around $60,000 based on Lifeway compensation studies. In other words, a large portion of his salary is consumed by the costs of the degree that the church required him to attain in order to serve the church.

By the standards most search committees set for their pastor searches, a young pastor in his 20s or 30s may be carrying $30,000-$60,000 in student loans as they come to your church. This burden is distracting in the least and financially cataclysmic for others.

A Recommendation for Churches:

Here’s my recommendation for churches to invest in the best candidates knowing that such an arrangement benefits your congregation:

Create an educational benefit for your staff. Whoever is serving as your pastor should have the opportunity to pursue ongoing education so that he can lead more effectively in a changing world. Maybe this means working towards a doctorate or towards their M.Div. If they are on your payroll, offer this as a benefit! I suggest a minimum of $2,000 per year for this. Given the rates for online education, this should allow your staff member should be able to take at least one class a semester.

Continuing education for pastors pays off in increased capability in leadership, missions engagement and preaching/teaching!

Ask your staff what they currently owe on their student loans and get involved.

Create a graduated scale that helps pay additional principle on their note. If your staff member borrowed, he should pay it back. Be a blessing by reducing the principle. That way the debt is being satisfied through a debt snowball approach. Example:

Year One - $1200

Year Two - $2400

Year Three - $2400

Year Four - $2400

Year Five - $3600

If you follow this example, a church would spend $12,000 total over a 5 year period. That’s less than $50 a week per staff member. Your church can do this! Combined with the pastor’s regular payments, you can significantly reduce the burden the staff member carries.

Do not accomplish this by simply increasing his paycheck. Create a way to pay on his note directly. Ask for a payment coupon.

Stay accountable that their regular payments are being made. You can be the change agent for your pastor's future!

There are tax consequences for this. Consult your church’s accountant for how to best deal with this benefit.

Help your pastor or staff member understand the beauty of debt-free living! You can make a difference in the life of the pastor who invests so deeply in your life and your community!

[2] According to the Institute for College Access and Success, 7 in 10 seniors (69%) who graduated from public and nonprofit colleges in 2014 had student loan debt, with an average of $28,950 per borrower. http://ticas.org/posd/map-state-data-2015

These poignant lyrics from singer/songwriter Charlie Peacock echoed in my mind this morning as I read the news. From crazy election results, to sin proudly on display, one cannot escape the seemingly relentless movement of hearts turned away from God.

The only answer to this horrible situation is the grace of God.

Asked to explain the lyrics of the song, Peacock wrote, “The truth is… I am worse off than I think or know. It is amazing that God knows the extent of my rebellion against Him (even if I really don't) and He still loves me and pursues me and is committed to making me like his Son Jesus. When I take this to heart a smile appears on my face. I cheer up.”[1] Our lives are not dominated by circumstances, but rather the reality of God’s grace poured out on our life.

This worked itself out lyrically in the song, “Cheer Up, Church”

“It's just like God to make a hero from a sinnerIt's just like God to choose the loser not the winnerIt's just like God to tell a story through the weakTo let the Gospel speak through the life of a manWho'll be the first to say,‘Cheer up, ChurchYou're worse off than you thinkCheer up, ChurchYou're standing at the brinkDon't despair, do not fear, Grace is near’"

As Evangelical Christianity continues to move to the outer boundaries of the culture, this is an opportunity for us to remember our might is not in politics nor in cultural prowess. It’s in the Gospel.

Cheer up, church! It’s worse than you think! But the Gospel never changes and Jesus is still on the throne. His grace is always near.

The holiday season is in full swing at my house. Christmas Trees, Nativity scenes, Advent calendars and even Santa Claus.Shocking, I know.The ubiquitous red-suited bearer of gifts still hangs around my home as part of the Christmas fun in our family. Some parents seem to want to move away from this tradition as Santa Claus becomes so intertwined with the secular Christmas narrative that in order to view Christ, we must also jettison Kris Kringle and his assorted paraphernalia.To be fair, during the Reformation and following through to the Puritans, old St. Nick wasn’t seen as a positive thing. He was “popish” and to be avoided. The 1645 Directory of Public Worship for the Presbyterian Church stated it rather bluntly, “Festival days, vulgarly called Holy days, having no Warrant in the Word of God, are not to be continued.”[1] It seems in many respects that the original war on Christmas was staged by the Protestant church.But we are inheritors of the Victorian Romanticism that brought all of this back to the center of popular culture. Thus, for over 150 years, Santa plays a major part every December in our stories of the season.So what’s a parent to do?I have a few suggestions that may help you be able to communicate the story of Christmas clearly without allowing Santa to get in the way.Celebrate Jesus – Using Advent tools and family devotions, talk about Jesus EVERY day of the Christmas season. Don’t let up. The culture isn’t, and you shouldn’t either. Tools from your church or other congregations can help you keep this focus for your family. This year, my family is using the advent family guide from the Austin Stone found in their app. Our friends at The Gospel Project also put one together called, _The Expected One.

​Discover the Real Guy – Santa is based on a real pastor and church leader. Ok, so you have to peel back quite a few layers to get to his story, but we always told our kids the story of St. Nicholas. As one of the most celebrated saints in both the Eastern and Western churches, it’s not hard to find information about him. However, over the years, fantastical stories have been added to the historical record, but we do know this:- St. Nick served as the bishop of Myra on the southern coast of modern day Turkey. He grew up in a wealthy family who died when Nicholas was young. Heeding Jesus’ words of caution to the rich young ruler, Nicholas lived a life of generosity and gave his inherited wealth away. Under Diocletian (284-305), an emperor who heavily persecuted Christians, Nicholas was imprisoned and tortured for his faith. Later, under Constantine, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 and defended the orthodox teaching of the Scriptures. He died sometime around 340.- The most famous story attributed to him relates to a poor family who didn’t have enough money to pay for their daughters’ dowry. This would have prevented the daughters from marrying so Nicholas anonymously tossed a bag of gold in through an open window to pay for the oldest daughter’s dowry. It just so happened that the bag ended up in a stocking that was hanging by the fire to dry. While there is no solid historical evidence of this event, it is attested to very early and has persisted through the centuries.- The best story relating to Nicholas happened during the proceedings of the Nicene council. When Arius shared his heretical views stating that Jesus was not equal to God, Nicholas became so irritated that someone would deny the clear teaching of Scripture, he jumped up from where he was sitting and slapped Arius across the face. He was thrown in jail for the offense, but was eventually restored to his position as Bishop after the council ended.- His feast day was celebrated on December 6. In Europe, this was the day to give gifts to others so not to obscure the worship of Christ’s Incarnation at Christmas. For a great overview of this, see this article: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2004/nick.html

Have Fun - Allow your kids to have fun with the stories about Santa. Call them "games" or "tall tales" or "fun stories." Point them back to the history of St. Nick as a real person. Talk about his generosity or his courage to stand firm for the faith. But please heed this: Always Tell the Truth – If your young child asks if Santa is real, tell the truth. Do not allow them to miss out on the truth of Jesus once they discover the “truth” of Santa. Again, in our family, we often talked about the “game of Santa” or pointed them to history. We didn’t want them to miss out on the greatest joy – Jesus.

Read Luke 2 as a Family – One of my fondest memories was my grandfather gathering all of us around the Christmas tree and reading about the birth of Christ. We would all sit and listen as, once again, the incarnation was made real. My grandfather would then explain how God gave the greatest gift – Jesus. Accordingly, that is why we shared presents with one another. We would pray and then open presents. While I didn’t always get what was going on, there was a clear signal being sent by my grandfather on the priority of Jesus during this season.

Share Christ - Gear your family to use this as an important season for Evangelism. Many people can feel disconnected during this season, but you can point them to the ultimate fulfillment of every hope and the true giver of Joy in the person of Jesus Christ. We are leading our kids to invite people to our Gospel-focused Christmas Eve services and encouraging them to talk to their friends about Jesus! This is Christmas!

So what about you? Do you have thoughts about how to deal with Santa this season?

By now I’ve already angered some and others are nodding in approval. Historically Baptist associations served as a connection point for most of our congregations. The association served churches by helping them stay doctrinally strong, encouraging shared evangelistic outreach, and helping churches in various stages of their life cycle – plant, renewal or death. I think they are a valuable part of our Baptist communion.

But it doesn’t take long to discover that participation in the local association is waning. On some levels, its not surprising. Associations that served churches where I pastored often demanded much in the way of resources but gave back very little to member congregations. Some even had leaders who acted like Bishops with control over our church – not a smart move if you are working with Baptists!

Sitting in my local Chamber of Commerce meeting the other day, I began to realize something. What if our associations began to work more strategically and carefully. What if they took on some of the components typical of the local Chamber while they sought to serve the church and advance the Gospel?

While I am sure there are more ideas here, I propose at least 6 major emphases that can revitalize many of our associations while we do the work set out for us in our community. Some of these are for the association and its leaders. Some of the ideas are for the member churches. We can only succeed if we work together!

Advancement of the community. More than ever before, our associations should be working hard to plug churches into ways we can benefit the larger community. Just as our churches should be working for the good of the city/town/county, so should our associations. By ascertaining and discovering the means by which we can aid in the economic development of the area covered by our association, our churches can more effectively engage the community. The association can help by centralizing efforts to engaged the poor and underserved. Can the association bring together the gifts and talents in a variety of churches for ESL, job training, citizenship/naturalization classes, and even foster care all with the end goal of reaching these men and women with the Gospel?

Advance the growth of churches in the community. In the same way the Chamber of Commerce works to promote new businesses in the community, so should the association with its churches. Each chamber helps new businesses find ideal locations, celebrates their openings with the chamber community and supports their success. In many of our associations, we are quite good at helping congregations plant churches. What we often don’t see is a concerted effort of the member churches to celebrate new church plants. Unlike a business chamber where a new business is opened and celebrated with fanfare along with other chamber members, our association members often begrudge new church plants and see them as a threat. To shift that attitude, Associations should also be engaged in working to better the health of existing churches and aiding them in maintaining a kingdom-oriented focus.

Proactively engage members with data. Your local Chamber of Commerce possesses a wealth of information – what new neighborhoods are coming in? Where’s that new freeway going to be placed? How will demographic changes in that neighborhood school begin to change retail markets? Most of our associations have access to the same data. But are many of them pro-actively discussing and working through that data with their member churches? Even annual updates of demographic data can aid a congregation in their short and long-term plans as they seek to engage their communities missiologically.

Network churches together. This is common sense. We all need community. We all need a broader network that extends beyond ourselves. Many associations do this rather well, but it can often be a very small group compared to the number of congregations in the association itself. While Baptist associations serve autonomous congregations, the main fruit that can come out of a vibrant association is the encouragement by others. For this to work well, associations must navigate maintaining relationships with the larger churches as well as the smaller ones. That balance can be tricky, but to the extent they can manage this, the association gets even stronger. But please note the next point:

Members keep the Association moving – without consistent engagement with members there will always be a shortfall in the association. After all, associating is voluntary. Our networks are only as good as the members who contribute to it. From those who work for the association, this always comes through service. Baptist associations are not a bishopric where the associational leader rules over the churches. The associational leader discovers ways to encourage congregations to continue their input and value. At the same time, member churches see their value in what is accomplished together as an association of churches. The single most important point in leading this is shared vision.

Shared vision motivates members – Should this really need to be articulated? Like any organization, associations without a shared vision and purpose become rudderless. Directors spend much of the time putting out fires in congregations or pleading with congregations to maintain their engagement. The best associational leaders are those who lead with a compelling vision that can unite the churches of the associational region for the purposes of expanding the Kingdom of God.

Some have proposed that the day of the local association may well be over. Spending time in my local Chamber of Commerce convinces me otherwise so long as our Baptist associations begin to cast a compelling vision for the future and serve the member churches as they engage the community. We could see a new day! Get your church and yourself involved in your local association for the good of the Kingdom!